Lewiston officials say the city is days away from naming its next police chief, ending a months-long search that began in September when longtime Chief David St. Pierre retired, ending more than three decades with the department.
At Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, City Administrator Bryan Kaenrath announced that Lewiston will introduce its new chief at a public ceremony at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, November 24 inside City Hall. The city has narrowed the field to four finalists after reviewing a far-reaching field of roughly 18 applicants from across New England, the Mid-Atlantic and the Midwest.
The search process, launched earlier this fall, has been shaped by community input and the lingering impact of the October 2023 mass shooting that placed new visibility on Lewiston’s public-safety leadership.
A selection committee made up of community members, educators, a prosecutor, and a restorative-justice specialist helped review candidates and identify the qualities residents said they wanted: strong leadership, crisis-response experience, and the ability to rebuild trust across diverse neighborhoods.
Kaenrath previously said the city wanted a chief who is both highly qualified and capable of “showing up, listening and leading,” reflecting frequent calls at public listening sessions for a leader who can work effectively with both immigrant and long-established communities alike.
St. Pierre, who retired September 9, served four years as chief and recently accepted a nomination to become U.S. Marshal for Maine. His departure left the police department under interim leadership as the city worked through its competitive hiring process.
City officials have not released the names of the finalists and are expected to make the announcement public at Monday’s ceremony.
The Lewiston Police Department, is one of the largest municipal agencies in Maine. The new chief will take over at a time when residents have sharply differing expectations about policing, community engagement, mental-health response, and public safety priorities in the aftermath of the shooting.
